Number of expatriates in oil and gas companies declines

The number of expatriates working in the country’s oil and gas companies continues to decline from year to year due to the government’s stricter recruitment procedure, Koran Tempo reported on Thursday.

Bangun Usman, BP Migas’s deputy for general affairs, said in Jakarta on Wednesday that the number of foreign workers involved in exploration and production had showed a sharp decline since 2002.

“This year alone, of the 833 foreign workers proposed by companies involved in oil and gas exploration and production, only 683 were approved,” he said. “It means we can save up to US$52.5 million every year from the recruitment of foreign workers,” he added.

Under the existing regulation, oil and gas companies are allowed only to hire expatriates to fill positions that cannot be handled by Indonesian workers, he added. (*)